Time To Say
by Tonyzgir
Summary: The loss of a loved one, brings the whole team, to it's knees.
1. Introduction

Sometimes, we hurt the ones we love. If that's the case, I must love Tony the most.

Just when we thought our very Special Agent, could be happy, something, goes wrong.

Hope you enjoy.

:D

Again, I don't own NCIOS, it's characters, or actors.

I simply borrow them from time to time.


	2. Time To Say

**Time To Say...**

_One Minute Left_

"Tony! Where is she?"

For the first time in... ever... Tony was ignoring his boss. He was more focused on finding her. Her. Like she was some unknown victim. She wasn't. She was Charisma.

His wife.

And some crazy person had her. Lockd up. He was running out of time. And running out of patience.

_45 Seconds Left_

Rounding the last corner, he found the door. Pulling his gun, he reached for the knob, finding it locked.

"Found the room."

It was all he needed to say. He knew Gibbs would already be on his way to meet up with him.

Kicking the door down, his breath caught in his throat. Inside, he found Charisma, slumped over in the chair. Blood dripping from her face, hands, and sides. Rushing to her side, he put his gun down, untying her from the chair.

"Tony?"

"Yeah baby, I'm here."

"You shouldn't have come."

He let out a breath, looking up at her, his hand resting on her cheek lightly.

"Where else would I be?"

Pulling her head painfully up, she let out a breath.

"It's... a... trap."

He didn't say anything. He didn't have time to. Hearing a click, he looked up at his wife, as the world around them, went dark.

_36 hours earlier_

The senior agent entered the bullpen, floating on a cloud. The morning had been better then he ever imagined it could be. Charisma had surprised him.

He was truly the luckiest he had ever been. He had married the woman of his dreams. And this morning, she told him they were going to be parents.

After the inital shock wore off, the joy set in. He was going to be a father. Already, he knew he didn't want to be anything like his father.

Sitting at his desk, he opened his email, getting rid of the junk mail. Hearing her elevator ding, he glanced up, seeing Gibbs.

"You're here early, DiNozzo."

"I needed to talk to you, Gibbs."

Seeing the smile on Tony's face, Gibbs pulled up a chair, sitting next to his son - in - law.

"Is something wrong?"

Shaking his head, he let out a breath.

"No, nothing is wrong. It's just... Charisma is pregnant."

Gibbs took a deep breath, sitting back in the chair. Studying his son - in - law, he finally spoke.

"I told you a long time ago that, if you kept my daughter happy, I would have no objections to you marrying her. I can't imagine anything better than you two bringing a child into this world. Congratulations, Tony."

Gibbs smiled, standing from the chair.

Tony came home to find an empty house. Sliding off his jacket, he wondered where Charisma had gone. It wasn't like her to go anywhere without letting him know.

Heading down the hallway, he had a strange feeling. Turning towards the kitchen, his breath caught in his throat, seeing a letter addressed to him.

Taking every precaution, as his training taught him, he opened the letter, taking care to only grab the corner of the paper.

**Tony DiNozzo,**

**We have your wife. If you want to see her again, you have 24 hours to play the game. Find her if you can. First clue: Where were you held, when you were kidnapped? 9p.m. tomorrow. Tick, tock.**

Tony's heart stopped for a split second. His hands shaking, he pulled out his phone, dialling Gibbs' number.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Someone took Charisma, boss. They took my wife."

"Tony, calm down. I'm on my way."

Tony hung up, waiting for his boss, and father-in-law.

_23 Hours Left_

"Anything Abs?"

Glancing up from her computer, she let out a breath, watching her brother - in - law.

"Not yet, Tony."

He looked up at her, letting out a breath.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

She watched Tony as he moved away from her, sinking to the floor. She sat next to him, letting out a breath.

"I feel so helpless, Abs. I have no idea what to do now."

"I know, Tony. I feel the same way."

"Why her?"

Abby let out a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Because they're evil."

"Abs..."

"No, Tony, it's true. Whoever they are, they are evil. And they deserve to be punished. That's your job, Tony."

He looked at her, nodding his head slowly.

"Let's get these assholes, Abby."

_21 Hours Left_

"We;ve been over this place with a fine tooth comb, boss. There is nothing here."

Gibbs glanced at McGee, knowing the younger agent was right. But they wouldn't have been sent there, for no reason.

"Tony, you see anything?"

Tony wandered around the room in the bunker, hating the fact that he was even back here. Taking a breath, he stopped in the middle of the room, looking around. Seeing the crack, he moved closer.

"There."

Moving towards the wall, he slipped on his gloves, pulling the brick loose. Finding a box behind it, he slipped it out, looking at Gibbs.

"Open it."

Tony lifted the lid, peering inside. Reaching inside, he pulled out a photo. Looking at it, he gasped, dropping it to the floor, as he stood, heading outside.

Ziva moved, picking up the photo, looking at it. Handing it to Gibbs, she spoke.

"I do not understand. Who is in that photograph?"

Gibbs let out a breath, looking back at her.

"Jeffrey White."

_19 Hours Left_

Tony wasn't just worried. He was terrified. If whoever had Charisma were doing it in the name of Jeffrey White, they were all screwed.

"Tony?"

Ziva's voice shook him from his thoughts. Looking back at her, he let out a breath.

"Yeah?"

Ziva sat next to her partner, taking a few moments to find her words.

"Who is Jeffrey White?"

Tony took a deep breath, looking away for a moment. He had forgotten that she wasn't around then. She had no idea what had happened then.

"I went undercover to catch a smuggler. Jeffrey and his partner were smuggling stolen Iraqy antiquities. I was undercover as a prisoner. We set up an escape plan, and had me handcuffed to him.

"After we met up with his partner, he and I headed to the meet with his buyer. I didn't know at the time that he had killed his partner.

"Gibbs and Kate were following me, but they kept losing me. Jeffrey and I had made it to the meeting place. I told him who I was. Begged him to turn himself in. He told me he knew. And I realized then, he had killed his partner."

He took a breath, before looking back at her.

"He pulled a knife on me. Brought it to my throat. And I shot him. Killing him."

Letting out a breath, he continued.

"I liked the guy. Right up until I had to kill him. Since then, I've had nightmares about him. And they all end the same: he slits Charisma's throat."

Ziva sat, stunned. Tony had never talked about this case. And now, she understood why. It haunted him, even now. She could see it as he talked about it.

Looking at her broken partner, she let out a breath.

"Of all the people you work with, I understand your pain. I killed my brother. Shot him without a hesitation. It haunts me, as Jeffrey White haunts you."

Tony looked back at his partner, letting out a breath. Nodding at her, he did something he hadn't done in forever. He cried.

_2 Hours Left_

They had spent the last 17 hours, searching every spot he had been with Jeffrey. And they found nothing. No clue, nothing.

They were running out of time. And Tony was running out of patience. If they didn't find her soon, he knew they never would.

He was losing his mind. Slowly but surely, he was losing every piece of his sanity. Without Charisma, he wasn't sure he would be able to function anymore.

Taking a breath, he finally understood. Nodding at Gibbs, he headed outside. Hearing Gibbs follow him, he headed to the car, and drove to the warehouse.

_45 Minutes Left_

He had shot Jeffrey here, in the parking lot. HJe hadn't been back since. He couldn't bring himself to be there. He really had liked the guy. Before he realized that he was a psychopath.

Stopping the car, he slipped out, taking a look around. There were a lot of warehouses, and only four of them.

And 45 minutes left.

He headed towards one building as the rest of the team spread out.

_One Minute Left_

"Tony! Where is she?"

For the first time in... ever... Tony was ignoring his boss. He was more focused on finding her. Her. Like she was some unknown victim. She wasn't. She was Charisma.

His wife.

And some crazy person had her. Lockd up. He was running out of time. And running out of patience.

_45 Seconds Left_

Rounding the last corner, he found the door. Pulling his gun, he reached for the knob, finding it locked.

"Found the room."

It was all he needed to say. He knew Gibbs would already be on his way to meet up with him.

Kicking the door down, his breath caught in his throat. Inside, he found Charisma, slumped over in the chair. Blood dripping from her face, hands, and sides. Rushing to her side, he put his gun down, untying her from the chair.

"Tony?"

"Yeah baby, I'm here."

"You shouldn't have come."

He let out a breath, looking up at her, his hand resting on her cheek lightly.

"Where else would I be?"

Pulling her head painfully up, she let out a breath.

"It's... a... trap."

He didn't say anything. He didn't have time to. Hearing a click, he looked up at his wife, as the world around them, went dark.

_5 Minutes Later_

"What the hell just happened?"

McGee could hear Gibbs, but he was too stunned to answer him. He knew that Tony had been inside that building. With Charisma. They had been inside when the building blew up. He knew he haden't seen them exit. Which meant...

"MCGEE!"

Gibbs voice brought him from his thoughts. Looking at his boss, he knew what he had to do, without being told. Knowing Tony and Charisma needed help, he headed inside.

_2 Hours Later_

McGee was out of breath, tired, and worried. Covered head to toe in ash and soot, he took a drink of water, before standing, and turning back towards the rubble.

"We got em!"

McGee let out a sigh of relief. They found them. Now, as long as they were both okay...

_4 Hours Later_

Gibbs hated waiting. He wasn't one to just sit back and do nothing. He wanted to... needed to... be in there, but the doctors weren't letting him. He knew they were doing their jobs, but it didn't make him feel any better.

He couldn't just sit there. He needed air. But, he also needed to be there when the doctors returned. He was torn. And tired.

_OR #1_

"Looks like a building fell on this guy. What the hell happened?"

"Warehouse explosion. He and his wife were inside."

_Fuck._ the doctor moved quickly knowing they didn't have much time to save this guy. He just wished he was a miracle worker.

"Let's save this guy's life, shall we?"

_OR #2_

They had wheeled Charisma in, just minutes before. Even at first glance, the female doctor knew it wasn't good. But, her job was to save lives.

"What happened?"

"Building she wa in, exploded. Someone said she had been a kidnap victim. Her husband is in 1. Oh, she's pregnant."

_Perfect... someone was going to die today. She was going to make sure, it wasn't her._

"Let's give her family some good news, shall we?"

It felt like forever before the doctors emerged. Tony's came first.

_Mr. DiNozzo had a couple of broken ribs, a concussion, and some internal bleeding. We stopped the bleeding, and I want to keep him for a couple of days for observation. But, he'll be fine._

Everyone was there. Everyone had heard the news. Letting out a breath, Gibbs asked the question everyone was else was thinking.

"What about Charisma?"

_I'll find out._

Gibbs watched him go, before turning towards his team, and wrapping Abby in a hug.

_2 Hours Later_

McGee watched, waiting for news on Charisma. Any news really. Good news would be preferable though. Finally, he saw a pretty, female doctor, heading in their direction. Standing to meet her, he let out a breath.

_She's out of surgery. She lost a lot of blood, and has a lot of swelling in her brain. The next 24 hours are critical._

Gibbs nodded, heading towards her. Taking her arm lightly, he guided her away from the others.

"What about the baby?"

He watched, seeing the look on her face.

_Hanging on for now. Like I said, the next 24 hours are critical. I will keep you posted._

He nodded, watching her go.

Tony awoke with a start, looking around the room. Realizing he was in a hospital room, he sat up in the bed, focusing his eyes. Sliding his legs to the side of the bed, he stood on shaky feet. Pulling the IV from his arm, he slid the sensor off his finger, causing the alarm to go off.

_Sir, you have to get back into bed._

"I want to see my wife."

_Sir, you have to..._

"Now!"

The nurse sighed, pointing to the chair, as she left the room. Moving to sit in it, he headed out of the room, and down the hall, to Charisma's room.

Moving to her bedside, he held her hand, letting out a breath.

"Hey baby. You know, you had me scared. I wasn't sure I was ever going to find you."

He blinked, his eyes misting up.

"I really need you to open those beautiful blue eyes of yours. So I know you are okay. Can you do that for me?"

He sat forward in the chair, his hand holding hers.

_2 Days Later_

"How is she doing?"

Tony glanced back at his father - in - law, letting out a breath.

"Still waiting for her wake up."

"You sleep?"

"A couple of hours."

Gibbs let out a breath, nodding at him. Squeezing Tony's shoulder, Gibbs turned, and headed across the room.

Sitting in the chair opposite Tony, he leaned back, watching his son - in - law.

"You don't have to stay, boss."

"Yeah, I do."

Tony nodded his understanding, taking Char's hand in his.

"We found them."

As the words echoed in Tony's head, it felt as if the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Looking back at his wife, he let out a breath.

"Who?"

"White's cousin."

"Why?"

Gibbs took a moment, letting out a breath.

"He got a percentage of White's job. He was his pilot. It was all about the money."

While Tony was glad they caught the guy, hearing that didn't make him feel any better. His wife, was in the hospital, over money. It pissed him off.

"Still alive?"

Tony looked up to see the look on Gibbs' face. Simply from that, he knew the creep hadn't lived to make a stand. Made him feel a little bit better.

"Hey..."

Charisma's voice borke him from any thoughts he was having.

"Hey yourself."

She glanced from Tony to her dad, a small smile on her face.

"Hey dad."

"Hey princess."

_1 Hour Later_

_The swelling in her brain hasn't gone down at all. It's really a wonder she's awake._

"What exactly does that mean?"

_It means, you all need to prepare._

Tony watched as the doctor headed down the hallway away from him. As her words sank in, he looked back at him sleeping wife. And cried.

"How long?"

Gibbs had barged into the doctors' office, demanding answers. There was no way Gibbs was going just sit back and prepare for his daughter's death. Not without answers.

_Could be an hour, could be a week._

"You can't be more specific then that?"

_Mr. Gibbs, with all due respect, I can't answer your questions. The truth is, it all depends on your daughter and how much of a fighter she is._

"So no matter what, I lose my daughter, and grandchild?"

_We have done all we can. Your daughter suffered a massive stroke due to blood loss and injury. It left her brain swollen. Surgery, will kill her very quickly. So yes._

Gibbs let out a breath, nodding at her comment. He couldn't do this again. He wasn't sure he would make it this time.

"What do you mean, we have to prepare?"

Gibbs looked at Abby, sighing. He knew the look on his face, would tell her everything she needed to know. Moving to her side, he held her, feeling her shake as she cried.

"Oh, my."

Gibbs could hear Ducky. And McGee. And Ziva and Palmer. And even Vance. But none of that mattered at the moment. What mattered most was, he had to say goodbye. And he wasn't ready.

_20 Hours Later_

Her family was gathered in her room. Tony, stood outside, waiting. Not wanting to hear the words they were going to share. He would have his own, in only a few.

"Dad, I wanted to ask you to watch out for Tony. He's going to need a lot of support during this."

"I promise you I will."

Gibbs eyes were filled with tears. He wasn't the guy that cried. He was the one that was strong for everyone else. But this time, he couldn't be. He had lost far too much already in his life. Losing another child? A grandchild? He was broken. The man he was, no longer existed. He could feel himself breaking as he watched his daughter.

"Ducky, Palmer, McGee. You are Tony's friends. And I love you, for everything you have done for him. Please, keep him sane."

She watched as they nodded, tears in their eyes. McGee was taking it the hardest she noticed. He looked up to Tony. A friend, and a mentor. As much as Tony picked on him, he wouldn't have it any other way, she knew. And she could see, it was breaking his heart, to be in that room at the moment. She hated, seeing them all like this. Especially, because of her.

"Ziva, you are the one I am asking to keep him alive. Make sure, for me, that he keeps going."

Ziva nodded at her, letting out a breath. Turning away, she moved from the room, pushing her way past Tony in the hallway, and heading for fresh air. Charisma watched her go, knowing that she would need time. And also knowing that, Ziva would do everything she could, to keep Tony going, when all he wanted to do, was give up.

"Abby, my dear sister. I love you. Please, promise me, you will do as I want you to. Tell him. Before it's too late."

Abby nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. Grabbing her father's hand, she nodded again, heading out of the room, as the rest followed slowly into the hallway. Into the future without her.

_22 Hours Later_

"Tony?"

Her voice woke him from his trance. Leaning closer to her, he smiled just a little.

"Well hey, sleepy. I thought you were going to sleep the day away."

She struggled a little, sitting up in the hospital bed, looking at her husband.

"Were you crying?"

He let out a breath, his fingers entwined with hers.

"I ws just thinking, baby. That's all."

"Thinking about what?"

"The future."

Truth was, he was thinking about how empty his life was going to be without her. He had sat and watched everyone he loved, say goodbye to her. But, he wasn't ready.

Feeling her squeeze his hand slightly, he looked back at her, just as she spoke.

"Tony, you have your whole life in front of you. Please, don't do this to yourself."

"Char..."

"Tony. Promise me, you will not let this define you."

"I can't make that promise to you."

She leaned forward painfully, her hand resting on his cheek.

"Tony, the last five years have been more amazing then I ever could have imagined. I have loved you more than I knew I could love. And I was loved more than I ever imagined I deserved. All because of you."

He let out a deep breath, letting her words echo in his head. He couldn't let her go.

"Tony, I love you. I will always be in your heart. I have come to terms with this. It's time you did too."

"How can you be so calm about this? You are dying, Charisma. How can... I don't understand."

She let out a strained breath, tears misting her eyes.

"You will. One day."

"I don't want to."

She lay back on the bed, her breath catching for a second. Blinking, she sighed.

"Tony, please... I want this. I need you to be the man I know you are. I know that it will take time for you to be okay with all this. But, I need you to be okay with this."

He couldn't breathe. He leaned over the side of the bed, shaking his head at her.

"I have lost one person I loved already. I refuse to lose anoter. It almost killed me to lose Kate. If I loose you, it will put me in the ground."

"Tony, you are loosing me. The sweeling in my brains, is killing me. And there is nothing the doctors can do."

"I don't believe that."

Her hand shook as she reached for his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"I'm sorry Tony. But you will have to. Eventually."

He closed his eyes, sobbing. He knew she was right.

"I love you."

He looked up at her, letting out a shaky breath.

"I can't loose you."

"I love you too."

He looked at their hands, seeing that she was wearing her wedding band. He felt her hand go limp, slipping from his.

"Charisma?"

He stood, moving closer.

"Char? Baby? Open your eyes baby."

He took a breath, shouting for a nurse.

"HELP! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP!"

He was in a daze, feeling himself forced back against the wall.

_1 Hour Later_

Gibbs had given Tony time. He had, after all, watched his wife die. Gibbs had been watching Tony and his daughter.

He had lost two children too many. He wasn't cut out for this. He wouldn't survive this time.

"Tony?"

He waited for his son - in - law to register his name. He moved behind him, a hand on his shoulder, feeling him cry.

And he let him. After all, he was crying too.

**The End**


End file.
